Clichéd
by Kayla Langwell
Summary: I fell into a world where I'm a pawn in a game between gods, clichés mean death, and I have been pitted against a Mary-sue who is absolutely perfect. During all of this I have to come to grips with the fact that I'm happy with it.
1. Chapter 1: I Knew That Cleaning

_A/N Hey this is my first Fan-fic and I want to let you know that i plan to go all the way and finish this one. Just be patient with me and any short chapters, I'll also try to update each week_

_Update: I need some more reviews people. Don't be afraid to write ideas that you think would be could. I'll try and work some in to the story if I can._

Chapter Prolouge; I Just Want to Rant About Mary-Sues

I know you are probably thinking, Great another 'I got sucked into the Naruto world, fell in love with (Insert popular angsty male character). Along with defeating the Akatsuki with only a month of training I also defeated Orochimaru where Sarutobi couldn't and manage to save everybody without a thought to the consequences.' Well that isn't how this story goes, because unlike a Mary-sue I am not perfect. I'm sorry, here I am ranting about not being a Mary-sue I haven't even started my story. Well it started in my bedroom . . .

Chapter 1: I Knew Cleaning My Room was a Bad Idea

" Sara if your room isn't picked up before your grandparents get here, you will be off that computer until your twenty, do you hear me?" I cringed as my mother shouted at me from across the house. Geez the woman had some pipes. Mentally I debated the pro's and con's of actually following through with her order, she gave so many that I felt somewhat entitled to pick and choose the ones that interested me the most. Cleaning my room wasn't too high up on my list. I tried to tell her that it's my room, but she fails to see my logic. Maybe I should remind her that her art supplies from her teaching career litter about three-fifths of the house while my meager little room can't even compare to that size. Little things like facts don't get in the way of her logic because she's SUPER MOM!!!!! Defender of messy rooms and unwashed dishes everywhere. It really does grow tiresome. I quit my game of solitaire before beginning my long and arduous journey up the stairs into my tower ... er, I mean bedroom. I went to open my door and found the task difficult.

A hard shove sent me tumbling onto a rather large pile of week old laundry. Now that I looked at my room I was actually starting to agree with my mother. Gahh must be the cleaning fumes getting to me. I have to admit that reclaiming my room from the dust bunnies and laundry monsters that seemed to have taken over my humble abode was a rather difficult task. The funny thing about what happened next was that is was so completely and utterly random. Whenever you read a fanfiction where the main character is sucked into the Naruto's world the eager fan is always doing something related to the manga/anime or they are in a life-threatening situation. I was singing poorly composed songs about dust bunnies falling in love, hardly a life-threatening setting. No bad guys were popping out at me, no abusive relatives, no static-y t.v with random anime characters talking to me. Just some out of tune songs about dust bunny love. So you can understand my confusion when I blinked and found myself falling through thin air. Just falling. Then darkness.

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Pain. It's amazing how much agony that one word can hold behind it. I groaned softly as fire and ice raced steadily throughout my body. I couldn't move my arms or my legs even tilting my neck sparked blinding jabs of pain. I inhaled sharply as a tremor rain up my spine. The warm air assaulted my senses as it filled my aching lungs. I almost gasped in pleasure. The air was so … clean, so fresh. I had never breathed anything so amazing in my life. Multiple smells permeated my nose as I breathed in deeper, despite my body's protesting. The fragrance of unknown flowers and wet grass played a symphony of pleasure to my weary muscles. Warmth danced across my face as a gentle wind caressed me, slowly removing bits and pieces of the pain that I was feeling. Have you ever been to or seen pictures of those awe-inspiring and breathtaking landscapes that people rave about? This place somehow beat everyone of those places. The colors were almost too vibrant to be real. _Maybe I've died and crossed over. Nothing on earth is even close to this amazing._ I tried to twist my body slightly, but the slight movement caused waves of pain to course through my body. I clenched my eyes shut as a choked whimper escaped my throat. I tried to stymie the jabs of extreme discomfort by lying perfectly still as the pain subsided.

"Are you alright?" A shadow fell across my body and I forced myself to open my eyes. I couldn't really make out his features, but he concerned by the tone in his voice. I tried to shake my head no, stupid idea right? More waves of pain raced up and down my body. Another whimper escaped my lips. The man's frown seemed to deepen which caused him to give a rather sickly cough. "I'm going to pick you up and take you to get some medical treatment, okay?" I didn't try to nod this time, but my eyes must have held my assent in them because he reached down with a great deal of care and lifted my body gently into his arms. Even then the pain was too much and I was out again.

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A/N: Hey I hope you guys like this revised first chapter. I'm planning on posting the revised copy as a new story so I hope you read and revwe to tell me how you like or dislike the changes.


	2. Chapter 2: Is There A Doctor

Chapter 2: Is There a Doctor in the House?

A Shinobi sprinted towards the gates of Konoha, his injured charge resting against his torso. Grabbing the girl had been a risk, but her nonexistent chakra levels and un-muscled limbs brought him to the conclusion that she was just an innocent civilian who had been injured in an attack of some sort. A rough cough wracked his lungs as he pushed himself faster. The large wooden walls of Konoha were just on the horizon. He came to a halt at the gates startling the guards with his abrupt approach.

"Gekkou Hayate reporting from patrol duty. I need medical personnel immediately. I found an injured civilian about twenty miles out and she isn't looking too good." As if to confirm his statement the young woman's head lolled to the side allowing the collarbone sticking out of her skin to show. One of the guards turned his gaze while the other nodded before shunshining away. The girl lying in his arms shivered as a light breeze swept through the area signaling the arrival of the emergency medical team. Within seconds they had grabbed her from his grasp and laid her out onto a cleared table within the guard lounge. He collapsed into a chair as he watched the medics work their magic on the civilian. He was contently resting his head in his hands when a gasp broke the murmur of work throughout the room. One of the medics was white as a sheet as she performed a test of some sort on the girl's body again and again.

" Hiroko-sama her toxic levels are unbelievable. She should be dead from the amount of poisons present in her body. There are concentrated amounts of mercury, pesticides, lead, flame-retardants and various other unknown toxins her body seems to have almost integrated. Could she be an biohazard?" Just as the words left the trainee's mouth the girl let out an agonized scream. Her body began to convulse as the medics tried to hold her down. The trainee turned to her superior fearfully" Hiroko-sama, what's happening?" The older man frowned as he watched the girl convulse on the table.

"Get me a Hyuuga." Hayate decided that this was his queue to leave. As he exited the lounge an ear-shattering scream caused him to cringe before continuing on to the Hokage tower.

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_Ugh, my poor innocent head. Why do you hurt me so?_ I tried to open my eyes as I fought back the throbbing in my head, the light that managed to get through the cracks in my eyelids seemed too bright. With a groan I quickly shut them. I tried again; the light seemed dimmer as I began to blink away my bleary vision. With my eyes finally adjusted to the room, I was able to look around. It was a plain room, what you would expect in a hospital. The bland white walls reflected the light and I could hear the soft murmur of voices through the closed door. As I gazed out the window the door opened and a nurse walked in with new sheets in her arms, new sheets that she almost dropped as she saw me awake.

"Oh, your awake. I'll inform the doctor." And with that she ran out of the room, before I could question her. A leaned back into the pillows and blew a strand of hair out of my face while I contemplated the meaning of life along with other inane topics. I briefly wondered where my family was, but I assumed that they were getting food or it was after visiting hours. With that last thought I decided to stare at the wall in front of me to see if my glare could make it catch on fire. At least then I would be somewhat entertained. Soon the nurse returned with a rather handsome doctor. He gave me an insincere smile before picking up my chart. I shot him a disgruntled scowl, which he masterfully ignored. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Hello I'm Doctor Takehashi and I've been in charge of your care since you were admitted to the hospital two months ago."

" Uh, what do you mean by two months?," I was a little discombobulated at the seriousness of my injury. He coughed almost uncomfortably before answering.

" Well, you have been in a coma for about two month and your condition has been unusual." The unusual caught my attention because I am not an unusual person. In fact I'm too usual. That made no sense.

" When you were found you had sustained various injuries. Internal bleeding and abdominal damage, fractures along both sets of arms and legs, broken ribs which led to a puncture lung, a clean break on your collarbone, and finally there was evidence of a concussion or brain trauma. The injuries look as if they occurred by falling from a great height. Your body's toxin levels were also through the roof. We found traces of so many poisons that you should be dead. Do you have any recollection of what could have caused your condition?" I stared at him blankly.

"Last thing I remember is cleaning my room then nothing. After that I woke up in a really pretty clearing. I have point A and C, but no point B and it is really disconcerting." His eyebrow rose a bit at my vocabulary, but he continued reading my chart.

"When you were brought in a problem was found with your chakra system. Or lack there of. You had no chakra system. With the attempt to pump healing chakra into your body you began to convulse and cry out in pain. A Hyuuga was brought in and stated that you were growing a chakra system. The convulsing was caused by the stressed placed on the body as the pathways expanded." I paused as his words registered in my head.

"Uh… did you just say chakra?" The doctor threw me a look of disbelief before muttering under his breath.

" Kami, what are they teaching in schools these days? Yes, I said chakra. Chakra is the resulting energy produced, when Physical and Spiritual energies become mixed together. You should have learned this in any basic civilian school. It's the life energy found in all living things. That is why your case is so odd." His gaze became pensive as he stared at me.

"Are you on crack?" I stared at the doctor as he spluttered a bit.

"I am most certainly am not on this crack that you're speaking of. You are here due to the peculiarities occurring with your chakra system and your life-threatening injuries, this isn't a joke." I wanted to laugh at his affronted expression, but his words had given me a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Where are my parents? Where's my family? And where the hell am I?!" I started to get up, but the doctor quickly moved forward and pushed my torso back down onto the mass of pillows behind me. Either I was amazingly weak or he was amazingly strong. I started to panic as the he shouted something to the nurse about a sedative.

"Miss, you need to calm down."

"I don't want to calm down, I just want my family!" I twisted my body in an attempt to break free from the weight of his hands on my shoulders. He wobbled slightly and I pushed my advantage, surging forward and causing him to overbalance. I ungracefully rolled off of the bed hitting the cool tile floor with a pained 'oomph'. The impact was jarring and I need a minute to catch my breath. I used the railings on the bed to help me up as I made to get away from the insane guy impersonating my doctor. As I made for the door I caught a flash of movement to my left. As I turned to see what it was I froze in shock. On the wall hung a simple mirror, this wasn't the thing that had stopped me. It was the reflection in the mirror that caused a twisted mix of fascination and horror to rise up within me.

Dull, sunken gray eyes surrounded by purple bags of sagging flesh stared back at me from where I had grown accustomed to having bright chips of blue. My skin was waxy and sallow dotted with fading stains of greens and purples. The skin was painfully stretched across the bones on my face giving it a look of starvation. All of the baby fat I had once had was now gone. I reached up to touch the face, but the bandaged appendage was stopped by the cool glass of the mirror. Not to be deterred I reached up to touch my own face and observed in gruesome fascination that the girl in front of me mimicked my movements, just as she had before. Comprehension dawned on me as I came to the conclusion that the gruesome sight in the mirror was me. In dread I continued to catalogue the changes my body had undergone. My lips were cracked and peeling causing me to unconsciously wet them in a vain attempt at healing the broken flesh. My once complacent hair now interchanged between bone-straight patches of mahogany and gnarled patches of clumped knots. Silent tears trailed down the face in the mirror and it wasn't till I tasted salt that I realized I was crying as well. In detached dismay I let my shaking legs collapse underneath my body. That couldn't be me. What had happened for this to be the result **two** **months** later?

A pair of arms grabbed my unprotesting body from behind as I was pulled back onto the bed. A buzz of noise permeated my foggy mind as words such as shock and catatonic registered. I tried to focus on the whirlwind of activity surrounding me, but the varying blurs that signified human bodies just seemed to mesh together as I struggled to breathe. Breathe in, breathe out, exhale, and inhale. The room began to spin as my body began to shake and my breathing became rapid and shallow.

A mask of some sort was shoved onto my face as air forced itself into my aching lungs. My mind cleared for a moment and I panicked, lashing out at the appendages holding my body down. At the first sign of struggle a needle was jabbed into my neck. The sharp sting soon gave way to a light soothing sensation that caused whatever sense I had left in my hazy mind to flee. I just sat there as my body was moved around and poked at, oblivious to the world and uncaring. Unaware of my fears, oblivious to my wants, apathetic to my dilemma, and disinterested in the answer to my earlier question. Where am I?

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A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!!! Any feedback is appreciated. Sorry it took so long to update, I've recently been amazingly busy with schoolwork and I was just in a car accident the other day (I was fine :D), which oddly enough pushed me to finish this chapter. Funny how the mind works. I really tried to go deeper into her feelings and the general emotions of disbelief and shock when confronted with an element from the naruto world, Chakra is a bit of a catalyst in the scene. My whole goal is to make my story more realistic with the revisions.

Now some people may be wondering about the toxins in her body. Well, this was what I was thinking when I wrote it. Just living in the world that we do we're exposed to various chemicals that we probably shouldn't be. Even though they're unhealthy they still get absorbed into our body and we become accustomed to them. Well in the naruto world they don't have these chemicals just floating around because their world is cleaner, so a level that might be higher than normal here would be considered outrageous there cause their bodies aren't used to them. So I just thought I would add that as a realistic dilemma.


	3. Chapter 3:You Can't Handle the Truth

Chapter 3: You Can't Handle the Truth

"Prisoner code: 27863-E, brought in for questioning; Reason: suspicion of espionage." Morino Ibiki's only response to the ANBU was a slight nod of his head toward the stiff metal chair that sat bolted to the floor in the middle of the room. The black op swiftly locked his prisoner into the cold seat before exiting silently, leaving as quickly and as quietly as he had entered. Ibiki silently circled his most recent victim in order to ascertain what methods of questioning might produce the most answers. His eyes darted towards her face as a groan emanated from the frail body. He simply watched as the girl shook her head, obviously trying to rid it of the grogginess left over from the sedatives she had been drugged with. Slowly her eyes fluttered open as another moan escaped her throat. He internally smirked as she tried to reach up to rub her eyes. A loud thud resonated throughout the room causing her to curse softly. Finally noticing the bonds that held her to the chair she abruptly stiffened and began to warily gaze around the room. Her eyes widened as he stepped out of the shadows. When she first saw him he could have sworn that a flash of recognition passed through her eyes before it was ruthlessly crushed. She cleared her throat nervously before speaking.

"W-where the hell am I?" _A show of false confidence to overshadow fear, faltering of words, slight fire within her eyes, _Ibiki was quick to analyze every sound and movement that the girl made._ She's scared, but she is very determined to not show it, I wonder why? _He continued to stare at her, quietly studying every nuance of her personality. Instead of being unnerved by his gaze she tilted her head to the side and stared right back at him, curiosity emanating from her features. He frowned internally, not expecting that reaction. He continued to stare at her until she seemed to grow bored and began inspecting the room. "Oi, scar-head, where am I?"

"You are currently in interrogation." Her eyes seemed to flash with shock at his statement before the emotion was replaced by anger.

"What do you mean I'm in interrogation? Where the hell are my parents? You can't do this I have rights, damn it!" This time he let his smirk show along with a hint of killing intent. Her eyes widened as a shiver ran up her spine.

"I suggest that you cooperate and this will be as painless as possible…for you." His face returned to its original blank position as he stared the girl down. She shivered again. "Now, are you going to cooperate?" She nodded warily, her back pressed rigidly into the chair. "Good. What is your name?"

"My mommy told me to never talk to strangers." She glared up at him, a bit of her temper shining through. The man calmly walked over and grabbed one of her fists. With little effort he pried her index finger out from the ball and snapped the bone in one smooth motion. A cry of surprise and pain was torn from the girl's lips. Tears streamed down white cheeks as her lips parted, disbelief and horror flitting across her face. Ibiki scowled down at her, his displeasure evident. _I hate having to torture civilians, they never see it coming. _"Oh my god, y-you b-broke m-my f-finger."

"Yes I did, and if you don't want the other nine to join it I suggest you answer my question." The girl continued to stare at her finger in shock.

"You broke my finger." Ibiki sighed, his exasperation showing for a brief moment.

"We've been over this-," He was interrupted by a sobbing cry.

"What the hell is the matter with you? You don't go around snapping peoples' fingers in two. You just don't do that!" His faced darkened causing her to flinch away from him.

"What is your name?" Her answer was immediate.

"Sara."

"Seira?" The girl looked at him funny.

"No, it's Sara. Not whatever you just said."

"That's what I just said, Seira."

"You're saying it wrong, it's Sara. More of an eh sound than … whatever the hell you're saying."

"This is ridiculous. I am saying it exactly the same."

"It must be you accent. Where are you from?" The sudden question momentarily threw the tight-lipped interrogator off guard, causing him to answer.

"Konohagakure." He blinked in surprise, wondering how the girl had gotten him to let that slip. Something of that nature was expected of a new recruit, not a pro like him. His thoughts were broken by the fit of hysterical laughter coming from the gir- Seira.

"You're a freakin' nutter. Oh my god, I'm strapped to a chair at the mercies of some insane dude who thinks he's from a place that doesn't exist." Ibiki frowned at her comment about Konoha not existing.

"I hate to disappoint you, but Konoha does exist, you are currently within the village's walls." Seira bestowed a look of bemusement upon him before speaking.

"Fine. You want me to believe you, right. Prove to me that this is a ninja village, then I'll answer every question you throw at me." Ibiki contemplated her deal before he decided her deal was acceptable. He silently moved through the hand seals for a simple katon jutsu before blowing a stream of fire from his mouth into the air. He gazed over to see her reaction and he found himself mildly surprised by the severity of it. The blood drained from Seira's face as she stared at the spot where the flames had been moments before. A blend of terror and cold realization washed over her features. "No, no, no, no, this isn't real. This can't be real. Things like this don't actually happen." Her eyes focused on Ibiki. "Break my finger." He quirked an eyebrow at her request. Without any other comment he reached forward and snapped another finger. She let out a shriek of pain that was followed by sobbing. "You can't get hurt in dreams. It's real, oh my god it's real."

"Where are you from?" Ibiki noticed the precarious state of her mind and tried to get what information he could before she became useless for interrogation. She focused her eyes on his face suddenly, as if searching for something. Her stare was creepy, even if he wouldn't admit that fact to anyone else.

"_Very_ far from here." After that small statement the girl began muttering incoherently, her eyes had unfocused again as she stared at a wall blankly. With a sigh Ibiki signaled for an ANBU to come in and get her; she wouldn't be talking in the state she was in. He followed the silent ninja out of the interrogation room.

"What are your thoughts on the girl, Ibiki?" The scarred man turned to see the aged Hokage standing by the large window that viewed into the now vacant room. Ibiki wasn't terribly surprised by his commander's presence, the Hokage liked to do routine inspections of each department to make sure the village was running smoothly. This was obviously one of his check ups.

"I don't know what to think about her. She honestly had no idea that Konoha was a real place, but that begs the question of where she's from. The doctor at the hospital said that she didn't know about chakra. She's either an amazing liar or she has never learned about shinobi and the hidden villages. Any ideas Hokage-sama?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly at his superior in hopes that 'The Professor' might know the girl's origins."

"No, I have no recollection of any place where she could be from. She obviously knew _of_ Konoha, just not its existence. Her accent is also strange, I've never heard one quite like it."

"Neither have I Hokage-sama." Ibiki turned to stare down the dark empty hallway lost in thought, "Neither have I."

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It was real. That was the only thought circulating in my mind. I was in the Naruto world. Morino Ibiki had just interrogated me. I was trapped in an anime. Aargh. This can't be happening to me. I turned my head heavenward before crying out,

"What do you want from me? I'm not a Mary-sue, I'm not supposed to be here." I wanted to scream or cry or maybe even break something. This wasn't something I had ever wished for or wanted. Only idiots ask to be thrown into a world of warfare and death. I was finished my first year of college. I had a bright future as a doctor. It was the beginning of my summer break. This couldn't be happening. Why was this happening? Had I murdered the pope in a past life or something?

"Can this day get any worse?" I was startled as a loud thud of metal came from the unlocking of the giant metal door. I stared at it in trepidation as it opened. I back-pedaled away from my visitor until my back met painfully with the cold concrete of the cell wall. First came Ibiki, but I kind of expected that one. The second person however blew me away. I stared at the man before me in a twisted mixture of awe and disappointment. I mean this was **The** Sandaime Hokage, **The **Professor. I guess I expected him to be a bit taller. The guy barely reached my shoulders, and that included the funny hat. Wow, I was acting like a groupie.

When I saw the old Hokage walk in with his laugh lines and warm yet guarded eyes, I briefly contemplated the idea of telling him everything, you know, like those girls do in the fan fictions. Then I came to the realization that our conversation wouldn't go like this.

Me: '_Oh Hokage-jiji I'm from a world where your life is a TV show that little kids watch for fun. I even know the future and how everything will play out, but I can't tell you because that would change everything.'_

Hokage: _' That's fine my dear child. I understand that my village could be threatened, but I trust you, a foreigner, to take care of my village.'_

Yeah. That was how the conversation would go. I cringed as the pair of powerful men stop in front of me. Ibiki's coarse voice was the first to break the silence.

"What language were you just speaking?" I blinked in surprise at the question. That was the last thing I had expected to hear.

"Uh … what language?" I peered up at the duo in obvious confusion.

"Before we entered the cell you said, 'Kay-anne theesa deh geatanni weorsah'." I stared at him as if he had just said the stupidest thing in the world. It almost sounded like he had said exaggerated the word's phonetic syllables. _What the hell is going on here?

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A/N: I am sooooo sorry for the late update. My computer crashed and I had to rewrite the chapter. This is about my seventh attempt at this scene so tell me how you feel about it. Is it more realistic? Less? DO you like it? Any feedback is appreciate. And Flamers … Flame on.


	4. Chapter 4: They Say

Chapter Four: They Say It's Easier to Confide in A Stranger

"It's called English. It's the language of my homeland." The Hokage's eyes flickered before refocusing upon me. "I still can't believe I'm in Konoha," I muttered under my breath, my eyes turning to the ground. A calloused hand gently grabbed my chin and pulled my head up to face warm eyes.

"My dear, you have to tell us where you are from if you want us to help you." I stared up at him in confusion. _There's no way that the real Hokage would be this understanding to a foreigner, even the peaceful Sarutobi. _I noticed a sharp edge to his features. It was barely noticeable, like seeing something from the corner of your eye, but it was there. _It's an act. He's acting kind and warm so I will confide in him. Very sneaky old man._ Even though I knew it was an act I still couldn't stop myself from wanting to confide in him. I tugged my ear gently in an effort to organize and focus my thoughts.

"Like I said to that guy," I pointed up towards the stoic Ibiki with my unbroken finger, " I have no idea what is going on. You say I'm in Konoha, but where I come from Konoha is just an old wives' tale. Shinobi are legends to believers and myths to most. You've given me undeniable proof that you are what you are, but it seems like a dream. I don't want to be here. I … I just want to go home." I dragged a bandaged hand across my watering eyes in a vague attempt at bravery. Never let them see you cry, my mother would always say that when I was little and someone picked on me. Those words soon became my own personal mantra. My body flinched as the aged Hokage reached a hand towards me. I stared up at him as he rest the appendage upon my shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"If you were brought a map, would you be able to tell roughly where you are from," Ibiki's gruff no nonsense voice broke the silence that had descended upon the room with a practiced ease. Inwardly I frowned, _there's no way my home would appear on any map they had, but it would make my story more credible. Short of telling them I'm from another dimension, this is the best I can do. _

"I think I would be able to point out the general location of my homeland. It's about 40 miles from the ocean, if that helps." Ibiki nodded before going to retrieve a map. I waited in silence my back still pressed against the wall of the dimly illuminated cell. Soon Ibiki returned with the rolled up map. He carefully laid it out on the uneven floor before stepping back and waiting. Cautiously I moved forward to peer at the various lines on the paper that represented all of the countries on the Elemental continent. There was something about the map that made everything seem final. I bit back a sob as my shaking finger traced the lines on the map. "It's not there. Nothing on this map looks familiar." I turned my eyes towards the men before me. "W-what happens to me now?" My body trembled as they shared a guarded look. An unspoken conversation seemed to pass between the two men as I watched on silently. The Hokage was the first to speak.

"Since you seem to hold no malicious intentions towards Konoha and you are injured without a way home, I'm sure we can grant you a temporary safe haven until we can solve your dilemma. You will be returned to the hospital until you are deemed healthy and you will be placed under constant ANBU surveillance. This is a probationary trial Seira-san, do not do something to make me regret offering you a safe haven in Konoha." His eyes hardened as a hint of something crushed the breath from my lungs. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the feeling was gone and I found myself nodding in assent towards the Hokage's words.

"Thank you, Sir." His smiled seemed almost genuine as he gave a curt nod in return. I made to stand up, but my legs weak from disuse collapsed beneath me. I braced myself with my hands only to be reminded that my finger was still broken. I looked up at the men with a sheepish grin. "I guess I'm still broken." I laughed nervously as the men just observed me.

"Inu." The Hokage's sharp voice startled me as an ANBU stalked silently into the room. I let out a surprised gasp as the Dog –masked shinobi lifted me easily into his arms. I looked around in wonder; I wasn't small by any means. I was five foot eleven inches, that's not exactly petite. "Take Seira-san back to her hospital room." I felt him; because Inu was _definitely_ a he if his rock hard chest was anything to go by, nod his assent to the Hokage before we disappeared in a puff of smoke. I broke into a fit of coughing as we reappeared within the lobby of the hospital. My hands had wound there way into the fabric of his shirt as I gripped his body I fear, my face pale white.

"Hey Doggy-san, could you give a girl a little warning next time?" I asked, my voice quivering. I gazed up at him with blatant curiosity as the dog's face looked down at me for the first time.

"My apologies." His voice was clipped ad detached, with a hint of amusement in it. He silently carried me to my hospital room where he gently lowered my body to the awaiting hospital bed. I let out a groan of relief as my aching muscles molded into the soft mattress.

"Hey thanks-," I blinked in surprise as I noticed I was now alone. With a heavy sigh I fell back into the soft, supple, comforting pillows stacked behind me. The exhausting events of the past hours…no wait was it days, I let out a weary groan. This was way too troublesome. I allowed my eyelids to flutter shut as sleep claimed me.

* * *

A loud rumble roused her from her slumber as a flash illuminated the night sky. Her confusion filled eyes opened to the pitch-black hospital room. Slowly she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stalked over to the window and placed a bandaged hand up to the cool glass. Another crash of thunder echoed throughout the night causing the girl to push the window open. She stared out over the village, watching as a storm blew in over the large Hokage heads. The sudden urge to climb out onto the roof of the hospital struck her with an unshakeable force. With shaking limbs she swung out of the window out onto the shallow ledge that led to an adjoining roof. For a moment she paused, balanced precariously upon the edge of the building, briefly. She held her tongue between her teeth as she struggled to pull herself onto the roof of the hospital. Her legs scraped painfully against the concrete walls as they tried to grab some form of purchase on the wall. A crash echoed overhead as the wind whipped her hair around. She hoisted herself across onto the roof, resting on its scalloped tiles as she waited. The storm moved in swiftly, covering the village in its tears as it made its way towards the hospital. The wind picked up, tugging at her clothing and hair as she balanced precariously on the edge of the building. A peal of thunder shook the structure as the storm drew closer to where she waited anxiously. With a loud boom the skies opened up and released a never-ending torrent of water onto the shivering girl. Time seemed to stand still as the water caressed her aching muscles. She stared up into the sky allowing the rain to wash away the tracks that her tears had traced on her face.

"You're probably wondering why I'm sitting out on the roof in the pouring rain, aren't you?" She turned her head towards the dog-faced ANBU as she spoke. He didn't say anything, no movement, nothing to give away that he had heard her, but she spoke anyway.

"It's so they can't see—," The ANBU felt himself compelled to speak despite his original silence.

"What can't they see?" His smooth voice was soft, barely audible over the roar of the wind. She turned to face him, her eyes dull and glassy. Pure exhaustion seemed to radiate of off her worn body. A sad smile settled on her lips as she stared into his mask's eyeholes.

"My tears." It was funny how those two words could create such a feeling of understanding between two people who were once worlds apart from one another. Doggy-san just nodded before he resumed his earlier silence. It was at this point that Seira broke and a flood of silent sobs wracked through her body as she tightened her arms around her knees. "I'm probably never going to see them again. My family, I mean. They're light-years away, and I'm here … alone. I want to think about them and worry over them, but it hurts. It hurts so much. Do you know what that's like? To lose someone so suddenly?" He sighed softly.

"I do. Someone once told me that it helps to remember the good memories." She turned hopefully towards him, water mingling with tears.

"Does it work?" The ANBU sighed before speaking, never turning to face her.

"I don't know." _I was too scared to try it._ She nodded her head softly as if acknowledging his thoughts instead of his words.

"I don't know if I'm strong enough to face those memories." She whispered to her companion, just barely audible over the howling storm. She returned her eyes to his; meeting them with a form of resolve they hadn't held before. "I may not be strong enough, but I will try." And just as the rain had released from the sky, story after story rolled off of her trembling lips. Laughter mixed with tears as she simply talked, simply remembered. Just as the first of the dawn's rays broke through the remaining storm clouds, she succumbed to exhaustion. The dog-masked ANBU sighed as he picked her up and carried her down into her hospital bed. Listening to all of her stories, even if he hadn't understood half of them, had given him a strange insight into the odd girl. Most wouldn't bare their souls to a complete stranger, but then again everyone in Konoha was a stranger to her. The person she had spent the most conscious time with had actually been Ibiki. He snorted softly at the thought. He gazed down at her bony form again and pondered over his newest dilemma. It was fairly obvious that the night had changed something between them. Even he wasn't cold-hearted enough to shunt aside a person who had bared their soul in such a vulnerable manner. He sighed in frustration. With any luck Hokage-sama would assign her a different guard and he would be rid of his dilemma. However unbeknownst to the dog-masked ANBU, an aged Hokage had been watching the exchange between the normally indifferent man and his new charge, and he found the out-of-character behavior intriguing.

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A/N: I'm so sorry it took so long to update, but I hope to be better about it and have the next chapter up very soon. Please review, it helps motivate me to write and the critiques are extremely helpful. I want you to tell me if things are moving too fast or if I'm failing at something. Tank you all of my loyal readers and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter.


	5. Chapter 5: Once Upon a Time

Chapter 5: Once Upon A Time

_Floating. Gliding. Soaring. I moved with unseen currents as my body passed over a cluster of homes. Cars drove through the streets, their metal bodies glinting with the sunlight that made it through the dense foliage. My face held a soft grin as I gazed down at children playing in their yards. My body moved towards a cream colored home__**. **_**Your Home**_, a voice seemed to whisper in the back of my mind. My carefree features contorted into a thoughtful frown. My body passed through walls, I was as substantial as the air around me. My feet set down onto a worn carpet in a dimly lit hallway. I gazed around in curiosity. I knew this place, but somehow it seemed as if I had never been here before. My gaze turned to a door that stood next to a descending stairwell. I knew that door… yet I didn't. _**Your room**_, the voice echoed again. I stepped forward as I heard a voice singing. As I drew closer the lyrics became recognizable as a ballad about dust bunnies. My brow crinkled in confusion. I made to open the door, but my hand pushed through the worn wood instead. I paused in the doorway as I watched a girl dance around her room cleaning it. _**You**.

_I watched, as a tear seemed to form within the very air. I watched as shadowy arms reached out of the rip. The girl,_ **You**_, screamed as she saw them, a look of pure terror etched into her features. One of the appendages grabbed her arm and threw her into the wall when she struggled against its grip. Another picked her up, but soon dropped her as she fought tooth and nail against these otherworldly limbs. I wanted to run forward to help her, but my feet were rooted to the spot. _Help her! Me! _I wanted to scream out to anyone who could hear me. Nobody came to her aid. She jumped away from one of the dark appendages only to be sideswiped by another. I cringed as she was slammed into a wall, my ribs aching unconsciously with hers. The things grabbed her legs as she attempted to stand up leaving blood on the wall. With a swift yank she was pulled back onto the ground and dragged across the floor towards the gaping abyss. As she was dragged she attempted to grab onto furniture, but it was futile. The shadows converged upon her yanking her into a now swirling vortex of light and sound. Time held no meaning as I continued to watch the unfolding events before me. _

"_Sara, did you finish cleaning your room yet?" Something stirred within me as I recognized the voice that called out, still unaware of her daughter's, _**Your**_, plight. _**Mom**._ "Sara?" I watched as she knocked on the door, her brow creased in confusion and unease. As if she knew deep down that on the other side of that door she wouldn't find her daughter. Cautiously she opened the door craning her head inside. My heart clenched as she let out a strangled cry as she gazed upon the wreckage that used to be her daughter's, _**Your**, _room. Bloody handprints were smeared across the walls, furniture was overturned, and pottery and glass lay strewn across the floor. Shattered. I cried along with her as she searched in vain for her daughter. Her shrieks of pained anguish soon brought a tall and muscled man, _**Dad**_, and a male of twenty, _**my brother**. _I watched and cried and mourned until every bit of water had left my body, but it still wasn't enough. I began to cry out to them._

"_I'm here," I sobbed, "I'm okay," but whatever forces were at work were too cruel to allow my soul any respite. The dreamy peace I had felt before had evaporated into a suffocating prison of obscurity. I felt their pain, but could not touch them. "Why are you showing me this?" I cried to the heavens. "What is the point?"_

"_**Incentive my dear Sara, incentive,**__" A voice purred softly into my ear. My body became a statue as a cool hand ghosted its way up my bare arms. My head tilted to the side exposing the pearly flesh of my neck to whispering lips. A shiver ran up my spine as I forced my lips to form words._

"_Incentive for what?' I tried to keep the tremors out of my voice, but the upturn of his wandering lips led me to the conclusion that he knew the effect his ministrations were having on my body. My stomach tightened as his roaming hand brushed the sensitive flesh on the small of my back that also seemed surprisingly bare. His velvet voice dripped off of his tongue like sweet honey. _

"_**Incentive to complete your task."**__ I jerked away from him, whirling around. Blood red eyes stared into my soul, burning there way into my mind._

"_I don't understand." His lips twitched at my confusion as he gazed up at me through thick lashes. _

"_**In time Hime, in time. In the mean time, try not to die. I have a lot riding on you surviving.**__" I turned my head sharply as his amused eyes bore into mine._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_**Hime, it's time to-"**_

"Wake up Seira-chan!" I came to with a start as the nurse shook me out of my, admittedly weird, dreams. "Dear, why were you crying?" I stared up at her in confusion, before reaching my fingers up tentatively. I frowned, as my fingers grew wet.

"No idea Suzume-san. Probably a bad dream, I don't really remember." I realized this wasn't a lie as the events from my nightmare began to slip away the more I focused on them. She sighed before moving to fix the sheets that had become wrapped around my legs in the middle of the night.

It was odd, I noted with a sense of surreal detachment. It had been roughly a week since my stint with Ibiki and the subsequent collapse of my emotional walls that followed it. I hadn't seen Doggy-san since I had spilled my soul to him and a part of me was very glad about this fact. I had metaphorically flashed him my naked soul. Not my proudest moment. The less contact we had, the better in my opinion.

I watched with a small smile as Suzume flitted her way about the room, taking care of her various tasks with an efficiency and speed that belayed years of experience. Suzume was a almost as much of a mystery as doggy-san. I guess she saw something in me that struck a chord within her, but the diminutive woman had taken it upon herself to become a surrogate mother for the 'lost girl' who had fallen into her midst. At first I had been perplexed by the caring attitude and the formidable patience she had with me. After finally coming to the realization that I was stuck here I had adopted a rather bitchy attitude. I had felt so lost and helpless that I just needed something to be caused by me. Immature, but it was how I truly felt. That attitude had lasted for about three hours before Suzume whirled into the room and scolded me exactly like my mother. I was in tears within minutes and that wretch of a woman just wrapped her little arms around my shoulders and hummed a soothing lullaby. After that day I had been the pinnacle of politeness to all of my doctors and nurses. It seemed so silly to be rude to them when they had been trying to fix me for two months.

Suzume had taken it upon herself to become my primary nurse and one of the stabilizing factors within my chaotic new life. She helped me daily by acclimating me to the new and exotic customs of Konoha. Knowing how to greet and address people properly was a skill often taken for granted before you realized that you couldn't do it. Suzume taught me these simple basics in order to help me survive once I was out of the hospital.

I was pulled from my thoughts as a bed was haphazardly wheeled into my room. I cringed as the wheels bounced off of a table. I looked up at Suzume expecting her to scold the orderlies for their subpar performance, but I found that the scowl on her face was directed at the person contained in the bed, not at the nurses moving it.

"What is that bed doing in here?" I stared at Suzume in shock. I had never heard her speak so coldly before, I had thought her incapable of anger. The orderlies turned to face her with expressions of unease and disgust.

" Our apologies Suzume-san, but we were forced to move the … patient here on Ryuu-sama's orders. It seems that we are short on rooms today." I could tell that everyone was unhappy with the situation, well except for me because I was just confused.

"Uh, Suzume-san what's going on?" Suzume spun around to face me, a look of surprise darting across her features. Within seconds a rather forced smile had taken residence on her face as she answered my question.

"Nothing Seira-chan, you just have to share your room for a while. I'm sure I can get you another room by pulling a few strings." I felt my eyebrows pull together as I scrutinized her face.

"Honestly its fine, I don't need my own room. To be honest I can sleep through anything so don't bother with it." I was trying to be helpful, but the look Suzume sent me seemed to mean I had said the wrong thing.

"That is very kind of you Seira-san. If you have no problem with it than I'm sure that the matter is closed." I sucked in a breath as the Hokage appeared out of nowhere, a subtle hardness prevalent in his eyes. I rubbed my neck in embarrassment.

"It's really not a big deal Hokage-sama. I mean if they need to put anyone else in here too, go for it." I had ended with my hand raised in a thumbs up, before I realized the corniness of the gesture and I lowered it chuckling nervously. This Hokage was a really intimidating person. He graced me with a small smile before moving to the bedside of the person across from me.

I strained to see who the little form underneath the stark white sheets was. I gasped in shock when a bundle of bright yellow hair appeared atop a depressingly skinny face. The Hokage ignored my sharp intake of breath as he took a weensy hand tenderly into his much larger one. I wracked my eyes over the scene playing before me taking in the small shudders running through the boy's tiny body, the eyes clenched shut in pain, and the glaringly obvious whisker marks that seemed too big for his skeletal cheeks.

I felt a stinging in the back of my eyes as I watch the shy manner in which he interacted with the Hokage. The fact that he needed to be coaxed into talking grated against everything I had ever known about Uzumaki Naruto. Where was the annoyingly outgoing personality that turned enemies into best friends? I blushed as the Hokage turned to face me.

"Naruto I want you to meet your new roommate, Seira-san." I pulled my face into a smile even though I wanted to cry at the innocent blue eyes that had focused hopefully on my face.

"Hello Naruto-san, it's a pleasure to meet such a handsome boy." My grin grew as his face pulled into a tentative smile.

"Hi Seira-san." His bright blue eyes met mine with a growing hope and a felt a large genuine smile grow on my face for the first time since I had landed in this strange world. Soon the Hokage had left and the rest of the day had gone by in a blur. naruto had slept most of the afternoon and I found myself falling asleep just after sunset. I'm guessing it was the middle of the night when I was woken up by a soft whimpering. _So much for sleeping through anything. _I peered around blearily to find a dark room dimly lit by the pale moonlight. I stopped rubbing my eyes as another whimper echoed into the night. I lifted myself up to peer across the room at the quivering form underneath the crisp white sheets. I peered on as the whimpers grew in volume.

"Naruto, wake up." Within moments Naruto's little head popped up into the air with a shuddering gasp.

"S-Seira-san?" His confused eyes focused on my concerned face. I smiled before replying to his unasked question.

"You were having a nightmare. Are you okay?" Naruto nodded dazedly before turning on a large bright smile.

"I'm fine Seira-san, believe it!" I returned the grin with a light laugh before speaking again.

" How about I tell you a story from my childhood to help you fall asleep again?" Now I didn't expect the reaction that I got to such a simple offer. Naruto's eyes got real big before he began shaking his head vigorously, kind of like a bobble-head doll. "I'll take that as a yes. Now once upon a time there was an Ogre named Shrek…" I just continued talking until his breathing evened out before I stopped talking and let myself fall asleep. Today had been a good day. Weird, but good.

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A/N: Sorry it took so long to update this. I'm really trying and I hope that you like this chapter. I decided to introduce Naruto a little earlier than expected because it seemed to flow better this way. Seira's going to end up befriending him in the hospital, hopefully. Please tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6:Must Read

As much as it pains me I have lost my muse for this story and I am unable to continue it. Please let me know if you want to continue this story, I'll give it to anyone who would like to continue it, just PM me. I plan to take both stories down within a week so please let me know if you want to continue it.


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